BP12_2009123_Web 2.0 Tool 5_Lumosity.com

Another web 2.0 tool that I learned how to use this week is on the website Lumosity.com and it is a site where one can engage in games and programs that promote brain health and cognitive function. When you first create the account, you set up username and password and create your preliminary profile. I was then brought to a screen allowing me a free 7-day trial premium membership without having to input any information whatsoever. I was then told I would be in a brain training ‘boot-camp’ that can assess where I was and what programs would be best for me to do afterwards. I like this site because I enjoy doing games and things that stimulate thinking, especially when they are fun and not necessarily learning. I am a firm believer in if one doesn’t exercise the brain, like any other muscle in the body, it can atrophy.

Lumosity.com can be used in education because there isn’t an age requirement to use this site and when creating the account, one is asked at what educational level one is at, which automatically causes the site to recommend programs for one’s initial assessment. I found this site when looking at other web 2.0 tools and decided to give it a try. This site also keeps tracks of a users progress, including scores, last programs/games used, and next game on the to do list. This site also appears to be a social networking site because one can add friends on the site and even has an activity stream.

The games test memory, mathematical ability, and verbal fluency through word play in its training assessment. I look forward to seeing what other games I can do and I would definitely use this in a classroom to maintain the children’s attention using games for cognitive enhancement.